Phil-Harmonic

Published 6:00 pm, Monday, December 17, 2001

With a little help from his friends, a student at The Woodlands High School is reprising a successful effort to help those in need during the holidays.

Phil Jackson, a 17-year-old senior, was looking for a good concert last year when he decided to put on his own and ask people to bring canned goods for the Interfaith food pantry.

By Nancy Flake

"Phil Phest" combined good music for a good cause, and this year, its sequel followed in those footsteps.

The "Phatter Than Phil Phest" concert will took place from Saturday at the Rayford Road Community Center.

The bands Vintage Soul, Pry, Faceless, 30 Watt Roger, Corah and Slacker all donated their time to the cause, thanks to their friendships with Jackson.

"A lot of my friends are helping me out," Jackson, who knows members in each one of the performing bands, said. "We raised 300 cans last year — I'm pretty sure we'll break that this year."

Phatter Than Phil Phest may have had a feel-good aspect to it, but it was be tinged with poignancy. The concert was a tribute to Terry Neisler, who died Sept. 11 from colon cancer.

Neisler was a teacher in The Woodlands High School's theatre department and a mentor to Jackson.

"I stayed after school with him every day," Jackson said. "I'm really into the technical aspect of theatre, and Mr. Neisler taught me all that.

"Honestly, I don't think there would be a Phil Phest without Mr. Neisler."

Julie Jackson believes Neisler gave her son the confidence to accomplish something like Phil Phest simply by teaching.

"Mr. Neisler changed Phillip's life forever," she said. He taught him everything that he knows about lighting and sound so that he would be able to work all of the plays that they did together at school.

"For me, this concert is for Mr. Neisler, Dr. Stockton (Don Stockton, principal of The Woodlands High School) and all of the teachers who do so much for our kids every day."

Jackson and Neisler became such good friends, in fact, that Jackson served as a pallbearer during Neisler's funeral.

"That meant a lot to me," Jackson said. "The day I found out (about Neisler's death) was a really bad day."

Hard as it was, Neisler's death was a lesson for Jackson, his mother said. "Never have I seen so many students travel so many miles to stand up and talk about their teacher the way so many did. The church was full, and the microphone was open to all who wanted to speak, and for about one-and-a-half hours they did, telling stories of how Mr. Neisler had affected their lives."

Jackson made an announcement honoring Neisler during the concert, and Vintage Soul played a special song for the tribute.

Another influence on Jackson's life has been his principal, Don Stockton.

"Phillip's very compassionate and a nice young man who wants to do something to help other people," Stockton said. "He wants to make a difference in the world."

Jackson and the friends helping him organize Phatter Than Phil Phest — Ryan Kartzke, Nick Durado and Samantha Pegan — plastered the area with flyers about the concert, but many of the concert-goers arrived via word-of-mouth.

"It came to be this thing last year, and the people who were there had a really good opinion of it," Jackson said. "They made it seem bigger than it was."

Jackson used his connections to organize and put on Phatter Than Phil Phest, and he used another for one large food donation and door prizes.

His employers at Papa John's Pizza in The Woodlands are "helping out a little," according to Jackson, while LD Systems in Houston donated the lighting.

And thanks to Jackson's friends in The Woodlands High School theatre department, the bands had a stage for their performances.

The concert also featured an auction, with a private performance by Vintage Soul as the prize, a raffle and the above-mentioned door prizes, courtesy of Papa John's Pizza.

Fans of Phil Phest won't have to wait a year before the next one.

"The next Phil Phest will be in May," Jackson said. "It's going to be my bigger one, with more bands, including some from Houston.

"Phil Phest is a cool thing. It's a nice way for people to come together, have good time and help people out."